AU I Falcon

The Ford AU Falcon in its original shark-fin form (AU I) was the car Ford debuted in 1999 and ran into early 2000, before the mid-2000 parity change produced the AU II. It replaced the EL Falcon and is a distinct aero state, never merged with AU II.

The shark-fin front

AU I ran the original shark-fin front. In side silhouette the AU's basic body shape was close to an aircraft wing, which generated aerodynamic lift at racing speed and left the Falcon at a high-speed disadvantage to the VT Commodore. That deficit is what triggered the mid-2000 parity fix that became AU II; mechanically the two AU states are identical, only the front aero differs.

Engine & driveline

The AU carried the Group 3A Ford 5.0-litre Windsor-based V8, naturally aspirated to the regulated 7500 rpm at a 10:1 compression limit and quoted around 480 kW / 620+ bhp (a 2004-spec figure). Engine management was a free MoTeC system (M4 / M48 family) in this pre-control-ECU era. Drive ran through the Holinger six-speed to a Ford nine-inch live axle with a fabricated, fixed-ratio crown wheel and pinion on the control 3.25 / 3.5 / 3.7 final-drive set. The AU used a double-wishbone front (against the Commodore's strut) and a live rear axle located by four links and a Watts linkage.

Brakes, wheels & tyres

The works/2004-spec car ran AP six-piston monoblock front calipers on ~375 mm discs and AP four-piston rears on ~340 mm discs — but brake make varied by team. Wheels were Speedline 17 × 11 in on the works car, again with the supplier varying by team (Speedline, O.Z. and others). The tyre was the single-make Bridgestone control (1999–2001) and category minimum weight was 1350 kg. Published 1632 / 1610 mm track figures are quarantined (CON-001) and are not accepted as wheel-centre track.

For its championship record see the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Sources: verified spec catalog (2002 official / 2004 AVESCO AU specs) + AU model-state records / V8 Supercars Physics Handbook (N. Higginson) — Grade B/D.